Loyal Brother
by song of steel
Summary: Tobirama loved his brother. Tobirama did not love his father. Tobirama did not hate the Uchiha. Tobirama lived in the shadows of his brother's sun. Tobirama would see his brother's dream fulfilled. But children of war should not build dreams of peace. Ch. 2: Izuna met war and a demon with red eyes
1. Chapter 1: Tobirama

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the characters or plot

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Tobirama had always lived in his brother's shadow. This was good; the shadows were where shinobi were meant to be. A warrior who struck from the shadows was one who would outlive the warrior standing in the open. As a child of the Senju, Tobirama lived with death hanging over him from his first breath. So he embraced the shadows, and honed his skills, and lived.

Tobirama loved his brother. His younger brothers he loved as well, loved their bright laughter and small hands. But his younger brothers were gone all too soon, and left only tainted memories and failure _(and red like his eyes like_ their _eyes)_. Tiny coffins engraved with the Senju crest, as though trying to reclaim them from death. Hashirama was similar to them, with the same bright laugh and open face. Hashirama was like the sun, and Tobirama couldn't help but to be dragged into his pace, entranced by his wildly dreaming spirit. Hashirama was older than Hashirama, and therefore not his _(failure)_ responsibility. Hashirama lived.

Tobirama did not love his father. Butsuma Senju was his commander, the leader of his clan. He was strong and stern, and tolerated no disobedience from his warriors or his children. Hashirama was his heir, a strong shinobi in-the-making, the golden child. _(Tobirama has lost track of how many times he's seen his brothers fall after a blow struck in anger. Hashirama was not spared his father's punishments.)_ Tobirama was second born, the spare should something happen to Hashirama. He was trained to perfection, to be a weapon for his father, later for his brother. Tobirama obeys Butsuma's barked orders without fail both on the battlefield and off. Tobirama is the dutiful, obedient son, a shadow compared to his wilful brothers. Butsuma trains him, and praises his skills before sending him on yet another mission. The day they bury Kawarama, Tobirama realizes that this is the first time he can remember talking to his father that is not strictly about shinobi matters.

Tobirama did not hate the Uchiha. He did not hate red eyes, or wake screaming from nightmares about spinning red death like so many Senju clansmen. Tobirama sees red eyes every day in the mirror, and they have never given him any reason to fear. He does not hate the Uchiha for his fallen clansmen, because he has been on those battlefields and can count just as many fallen Uchiha where they lie. (Tobirama is a shinobi, and they do not fight fair. That does not mean he lacks understanding of the concept.) The Uchiha are just another enemy, no different from the Hagaromo clan or Inuzuka or any other that he might face.

Tobirama does not begrudge them his fallen brothers. It hurt, when Kawarama died and he watched the too small coffin be covered in dirt, but he was a good shinobi and did not cry. It hurt, finding Itama's body and hearing Hashirama's grief, but he was a good shinobi and did not cry. If his traps were more vicious afterwards, or he killed more Uchiha than those twice his age, none sad a word. Tobirama was a good shinobi and did not smile.

Tobirama does not believe in his brother's dream. He was born in war, grew up in war, and has been molded by war with every breath. But Tobirama loves his brother, and if creating this village, if _Konohagakure_ will make his brother happy then Tobirama will make sure that this dream becomes a reality. Only later, when he is reborn for a second time and staring at a child destroyed by a quest for vengeance, will he see that a dream of peace should never be built be a child of war.

If Tobirama was different, events would not have unfolded as they did. If he had hated the Uchiha like his clansmen, if he had loved his father even a little, if he was not so devoted to his brother. If anyone had seen a weapon in a child's body hiding in the shadows and realized that the weapon could think, and, choose, and wondered what he was planning. But Tobirama did not hate, and chose his own loyalty, and told no one of his plans.

Tobirama was a genius. Tobirama knew from that day at the river that his father would never stop the fighting, and Tajima Uchiha would never agree to peace talks. (Tobirama did not love his father.) So Tobirama waited, and gave advice on formations for the next battle.

Tobirama was a master strategist and tactician. Tobirama led strong Senju warriors to attack Tajima Uchiha, and watched them fall, slipping back into the fray at the last moment. Tobirama baited the strongest Uchiha with the promise of slaying the son of the Senju's leader, and they followed him into his father's attacks. Tobirama kept careful track of the wounds that each leader accumulated, watched as they grew ever so slightly slower, sloppier, with each new opponent _(sacrifice)_. When it was time, he appeared before Tajima Uchiha, letting the other see his carefully widened eyes before fleeing into the forest, hearing one set of footsteps hurrying to follow him. (Tobirama was a good shinobi and did not smile.)

Tobirama was a shadow, and he disappeared and left Tajima in the clearing, picked out in advance with the troops carefully positioned to ensure privacy. He returned to his father's side, alone now as Butsuma's comrades had been killed by the barrage of surprisingly skilled Uchiha, and reported that Tajima Uchiha was nearby in the woods, wounded and separated from his clansmen. Butsuma Senju praised his son for his work, and followed him to the clearing. Both leaders were tired, and wounded, and alone. Both leaders were too proud to back down from such opportune weakness in their enemy. Both stood in the way of Tobirama's brother's dream.

Tobirama watched from the shadows as they killed each other.

Tobirama made several mistakes. The first was that Tajima Uchiha, though surely dying, was not yet dead when his sons found him. Madara Uchiha, who only saw Hashirama _(the sun)_ , took no notice when his father mentioned following his rival's white haired son before meeting Butsuma in battle. _(Tobirama had always lived in his brother's shadow.)_ Izuna, however, had fought against the shadows and their white-haired weapon for years. Izuna knew Tobirama's tricks, and the seeds of suspicion were planted. The second was that he had believed that Madara was like his brother, fought only out of filial duty and would immediately call for a ceasefire. He was wrong.

Tobirama's final mistake was the same that many had made when facing him; he underestimated his opponent. As he charged at Izuna from across the field, Izuna's arms opened wide and abandoned all defence. Tobirama was moving too fast, Izuna went down in a spray of blood and Madara's cry echoed across the field. Tobirama could only meet Izuna's pained smirk with confusion before Madara and Hashirama arrived and were once again the centre of attention. Still, Izuna held his gaze and ever so carefully mouthed their fathers' names from Madara's arms. Then, "don't trust the Senju" shattered Hashirama's dream while Tobirama struggled to contain his reaction to the barest of flinches. As Tobirama watched his fellow shadow child disappear for the last time in Madara's arms, he wondered where he was wrong.

 _Tobirama was a loyal brother above all else._


	2. Chapter 2: Izuna

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, its characters or plot

 **Dutiful Son- Izuna's story**

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Once, Izuna Uchiha had four brothers. Two were older, and two were younger, leaving him in the oft-overlooked position of middle child. Once he had a mother, who was graceful and gentle and filled the house with the scent of flowers and a laugh like bells. Once, his father would smile as he watched his sons train, and joked with them in the privacy of their yard. Once, Izuna had a home that was untouched by war.

It didn't last.

The first to fall was his second oldest brother. He had been fresh to the battlefield, only on his second mission when his patrol ran into a group of Sarutobi clansmen. He was the youngest combatant, and the best target. He was six years old, and five year old Izuna didn't understand why he wasn't coming home.

The next was the youngest. It was an accident, really. A poisoned kunai brought back from an enemy encounter in the hopes of finding a cure for a wounded comrade. Grasping, curious toddler hands, skin so soft and easily parted by cold metal. The medics couldn't find a cure in time.

Then two at once. A Senju raid, piercing too far into the compound in the darkness and chaos. Izuna's gentle mother was not a kunoichi. (There was a certain irony in an Uchiha being trapped in a building as it burns.) His last younger brother, brave and foolish, ran onto the battlefield. The next day, Izuna was the one who pulled his tiny body out from underneath a heavy adult in armour.

 _Izuna was tired of war._

Once Izuna had four brothers, and a gentle mother, and a grinning father, and a home untouched by war. By the time he was nine, he had lost them all.

* * *

Izuna's brother had never paid much attention to him when he was younger. After all, Izuna was just one of a gaggle of tiny beings trailing after their mother, not even the closest in age to Madara and not very fun to train with when he was so much smaller. Once they were the only two left, however, it seemed as though Madara wouldn't let him out of sight.

Izuna lasted two months under this intense scrutiny before he yelled at his brother to back off and find someone else to bother. It took another week for him to realize his older brother had listened.

So naturally, he was curious.

Another week of stealthy following, and Izuna was watching from a bush in confusion and slight horror at this bowl-headed, pinstriped thing that his brother had discovered. (Madara would be a great shinobi one day, but he was better at straight-up offense than chakra sensing or hiding his trail.) He watched them skip rocks, and spar, and run around acing like the overenthusiastic morons that he knew his brother was deep down, and oh the horror that there were now two of them.

 _Izuna didn't know who the boy was. He reported nothing._

Eventually, Izuna found a great cliff from which he could look down and watch his brother and the strange boy's antics. He would occasionally go just to watch them flail and shout and push each other in the river. It was very entertaining.

It was there that Izuna met a baby demon. (For what else could he be?)

The baby demon announced his presence one day when Izuna was lying flat on his stomach, binoculars in hand but not in use, staring out over the trees. The feel of cold metal on the back of his neck made him freeze and curse himself for being caught off guard. A young voice demanded his name, and a trickle of blood down the side of his neck convinced him to give it. The demon insisted on his clan name as well, which Izuna wouldn't have given had the demon not mentioned first that he looked like an Uchiha.

You were not supposed to give out your clan name, every shinobi knew this. That didn't mean you couldn't confirm it, especially when held at kunai-point. At least, that was what Izuna reasoned.

A foot to the ribs nudged him over with irksome ease, forgotten soon once he found himself laid on has back and caught in the demon's (red, red like sharingan like battle what _is_ this) assessing gaze. Hair white as snow spring up in soft looking tufts which somehow only enhanced the sharpness of those cold (burning) eyes.

(Tobirama did not hate the Uchiha.)

Izuna didn't know who the boy was. He reported nothing.

 _I am Tobirama Senju, and one day I will kill you._ (Izuna had nightmares of red eyes for weeks.)

* * *

After that day by the river, amidst the frenzy caused by his brother's awakened sharingan, Izuna slipped away. He had no desire to be jostled by the crowds attempting to congratulate their heir on his latest achievement, and was quite tired of trying to avoid his brother's betrayed gaze.

Really, he'd done Madara a favour. Senju were nothing but _(monsters)_ trouble.

Of course, if he'd known where his traitorous feet would lead his idle wanderings, he would have rather chances the crowds. Still, he was completely unprepared to find himself once more staring into cold red eyes. (There had been too much feeling in them at the river. He wondered who Tobirama was trying to fool.)

A strange thing; Madara and Hashirama would not meet again for over a decade, except on the battlefield. Izuna and Tobirama never stopped their strange, tense encounters. Both were well known as the dutiful sons, neither was the clan heir. (No one ever noticed they were gone.)

* * *

If there was one thing that Izuna hated about Tobirama, it was his honesty. At twelve, Izuna was the first to learn about Tobirama's Impure World Resurrection Jutsu, before even Hashirama. (His clansmen laughed when he ran back in a panic shouting about demonic Senju raising the dead.) Tobirama had calmly told him that no one would believe him, and as usual he was right. Izuna had nightmares about seeing a headless cat walking around as it regrew its severed limbs _(watching a clay child cut her own throat, "Look, no blood")_. He often had nightmares about Tobirama.

Izuna especially hated how no one would believe him when he tried to warn them about Tobirama. Butsuma was a threat, Hashirama was becoming dangerous, but Tobirama was a ghost unless he was facing Izuna. His clansmen told him to stop bragging about his rival. Izuna knew that he was no match for the white-haired demon. He hated that Tobirama used him to _display his skills_ (make people underestimate him fatal mistake). He hated seeing Tobirama's genius, knowing that he could never catch up, knowing that his clansmen would never see it coming.

Yet somehow, he still managed to underestimate the Senju

Every time Izuna stepped onto the battlefield, he looked for Tobirama to begin the act again, hoping to spare his clansmen from swift death _from the shadows_. Yet when he finally spotted his "rival" the other turned and led a charge away into the thick of the fighting. Izuna paused, taken slightly off guard, and was nearly decapitated for his concern.

This was not normal.

A feeling of unease crept over him as he spotted flashes of white darting in every direction across the battlefield, swift and purposeful. Izuna knew he could only track the movements through long familiarity (and many, many nightmares). He recognized the pattern of Tobirama's strategic brilliance at work. Izuna fought on and wondered and worried what the other was doing.

After the battle, his father's dying words gave his second son an answer.

A flash of rage in cold red eyes when Madara again rejected peace confirmed it.

* * *

Here is the problem with Uchiha; they are revenge-loving hotheads. Here is the second problem; this does not at all stop them from being terrifying warriors and brilliant strategists.

(Tobirama made a mistake.)

Izuna loved his brother, but his brother would live on. Izuna loved his mother, and missed her laugh _like bells_. Izuna also loved his father, who was slain by the will of a demon. Izuna did not believe in his brother's dream. It was an empty lie, and he would happily throw it on his father's funeral pyre.

Tobirama was stronger and smarter than Izuna and both of them knew it (even if no one else knew just how much). Tobirama had taught him well how to use someone's underestimation of your skills. Izuna was good at twisting ideas around until they worked how he wanted them to.

 _Tobirama wasn't the only one who grew up in his brother's shadow._

A lightning fast charge was met with arms flung wide open, no resistance offered to the red hot pain slicing through Izuna's side. He had just enough time to smirk in the face of the Senju's wide-eyed confusion (and oh, when did he get so easy to read) before Madara's arms were around him, he and Hashirama arguing once more. Painfully leaning around his brother's body, Izuna again made eye contact with Tobirama, carefully mouthing first his father's name, then that of Butsuma Senju.

Tobirama was a genius. He got the message.

There was a moment of fear, when Hashirama again proposed peace and threw in an offer of healing. "Don't trust the Senju," Izuna insisted while staring into his brother's face (there was only one Senju that Izuna ever worried about, and trusting him was the last thing he wanted his brother to do).

Izuna's last glimpse of the white demon showed his shock fading, ice rage returning as Izuna smirked and relished his final victory. Izuna laughed, and it hurt. (He could hear bells.)

 _Once Izuna was a happy child with a home untouched by war. Then war came home and a demon came with it so Izuna burned his home down with all of them inside._


End file.
